Due to its priviledged position in the centre of the Po-valley, Parma has been conspicuous over the centuries for the richness of its cultural life. Capital of the Dukedom which in the past also included Piacenza and Guastalla, Parma distinguished itself for the title of "little Athens", gained thanks to the cultural sensitivity of its rulers. A similar vitality can still be felt today in the streets of the ducal city, a vitality which expresses itself in particular in the fields of culture and music.

Parma, with its theatres such as the Farnese and the Regio, has attracted and given hospitality during the past centuries to personages of the calibre of Nicolò Paganini, Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini; today it still emerges in the Italian scenario for the presence of the important A. Toscanini Orchestra, a famous music college and the new Auditorium "Paganini" designed by Renzo Piano.

Our city enjoys an equally important role with respect to the construction of stringed instruments. As far back as the 16th century numerous violin-making workshops were active in Parma. Within this context three names stand out: that of G. B. Guadagnini in the 18th century, and later those of Gaetano Sgarabotto and Renato Scrollavezza with their respective Schools.